Martha Rountree, 87, a Creator of 'Meet the Press'

By JOHN FILES

Published: August 25, 1999

Martha Rountree, the co-creator and first moderator of the NBC News program ''Meet the Press,'' died on Monday at Sibley Hospital in Washington. She was 87 and lived in Washington.

On June 24, 1945, Ms. Rountree and Lawrence E. Spivak introduced the show on radio, unveiling it two years later on television, where it has since become television's longest-running program. In 1997, at the 50th anniversary celebration of ''Meet the Press,'' held at the National Building Museum in Washington, Ms. Rountree was honored as the only woman who had moderated the program.

In addition to her work with ''Meet the Press,'' she produced several other radio and television shows, including ''Keep Posted,'' ''Washington Exclusive,'' ''Leave It to the Girls,'' ''Press Conference'' and ''Capitol Close Up.''

Ms. Rountree lost a coin-toss to Mr. Spivak in 1953 to determine who would buy out the other's interest in the program. They agreed that she would not develop a competing program for at least two years.

''She was a news pioneer who helped create a national treasure,'' said Tim Russert, the chief of NBC News's Washington Bureau who now serves as moderator of ''Meet the Press.''

After leaving the program and becoming a popular lecturer, Ms. Rountree in 1965 founded Leadership, a nonprofit political research foundation based in Washington, and served as president of the organization until 1988. A member of the National Press Club and the Women's National Press Club, she received awards in recent years from the Women for Achievement, the National Fraternity of Women in Journalism and the American Legion.

Martha Rountree was born in Gainesville, Fla., in 1911. After spending her youth in Columbia, S.C., she enrolled at the University of South Carolina. She then worked in South Carolina for The Columbia Record, before returning to Florida as a reporter for The Tampa Tribune.

In 1938, she moved to New York City, where she worked as a freelance and wrote advertising copy for several magazines. She founded radio's first panel show, ''Leave It to the Girls,'' in 1940 before creating ''Meet the Press,'' which became the template for the Sunday political talk shows.

Ms. Rountree married Oliver M. Presbrey in 1952. Mr. Presbrey, an advertising executive, died in 1988.

She is survived by two daughters, Martha Wiethorn of Bethesda, Md., and Mary Greene of Duxbury, Mass.; a sister, Ann Rountree Forsberg of Greenwich, Conn.; a brother, Calvin Rountree of Hayesville, N.C., and three grandchildren.

Photo: Martha Rountree produced several radio and television programs. (1956)